Conversations With Amber

Daddy helped translate my gurgles for me this morning, because I wanted to ask my big sister a serious question as she was getting ready to leave for school.

"Sissy," I asked via Daddy. "Why do you carry a big peebag to school sometimes?"

"It's a Peeeeee Bag," she replied.

"I know it is. But why carry a bag of wee?"

"It has clothes in it actually Lucy."

"But don't they end up smelling of wee? Doesn't Daddy have enough washing to do already?"

"There's no wee, Lucy. Just clothes."

"Then why isn't it called a Clothesbag?"

"Because it's for Peeeeee."

"Don't grown up girls use toilets for that?"

She just smiled a touch wearily and raised her eyebrown at Daddy in that way she has. Poor Daddy, he was just translating after all.

Party Party Party

Tis the season to be jolly, and get presents from Auntie Holly, and other things ending in olly. Plus Mummy's birthday was on Sunday, so we had a party on Friday night to celebrate. Amber went to Granny's and lots of peeps came over to coo at me. Amongst others, Uncle Julian (he's one of my non-religious Godfather types) and Aunty Sue came over, and I even let her hold me for a little while without screaming. Wasn't I good?

Julian and Sue on my Naming Day

But the crown for the evening's 'holding the baby without the baby raising merry hell' award had to go to Ed for sheer persistence. Even when I kept mimping and looking at Daddy all imploringly as if to say 'how can you possibly leave me with this strange American for another second?' he just kept on playing with me and cuddling me. And in the end he got to snuggle me for a whole twenty minutes (!). Mummy and Daddy were amazed, not to mention mightily impressed.

Ed and I. I am reading him a story with lots of teething in it.

At first when it was Julian and Sue I was quite happy. But then for some reason lots of peeps arrived all at once, and everyone seemed to crowd into the kitchen where Daddy was holding me at the same time. I started feeling it was all a bit oppressive, but luckily Daddy saw it coming and took me out of there before I fully let fly. Apart from that I actually quite liked having lots of people there, they cooed and cooed and cooed and gave me lots and lots of attention. And if they weren't paying enough attention I just gave out a quick yell and that got them back where they should be, i.e. worshipping at my little feet.

Nutty Nate was there. He's the one Daddy and Julian started moshing with during Mummy and Daddy's wedding reception, suits and all. His luverly lady Kate was there too. She has uber-big hair, it is totally awesome and seems to get bigger every time we see her.

Nate and Kate at Mummy and Daddy's Wedding

Big Dave and his girlfriend Alex came too (Daddy doesn't seem to have any photy's of them, sorry) - I had to stay away from Alex though because she is a scary ill person. Daddy says she was a Plague Bearer and she didn't seem to argue with that one. She did make sure it was still OK to come over though which was very kind of her to do.

Big Dave is a super-clever person who knows loads and loads about the stars. My big sister wants to do GCSE Astronomy and he will says he will help her out loads and loads because he is only one more degree away from being a full Astronomer, which I think means he can look at a star and tell you what its called, how far away it is, and probably what it had for breakfast as well.

Also Rob (who Daddy keeps referring to as Jack Silver, after the bumbling Vampire he played in the game Daddy first met him in) was there. He is High Priest of the Temple of Prog, which sounds very grand indeed to me even though I don't know exactly what it's all about. But that's OK, because Daddy says no two people have ever managed to agree on exactly what being Prog means anyway.

Unfortunately for Mummy, because of people being ill, people related to people being ill, and people having to work late, none of what Daddy calls Mummy's 'girlie mates' made it over, so nearly everyone who was there was a gaming person. And those gamer peeps, my they do like to talk shop, so to speak. It's like another language really, though I'm one to talk I suppose what with my fluency in Yell, Shriek and Red-Faced Strain.

All in all despite the occasional moment when people didn't pay enough attention to me, and a bit too much gaming natter for the non-gamers present, it was a really great night. I even went to sleep near the end after exhausting myself with all this social stuff, despite a few people still being downstairs making noise.

I hope we do it all again for Mummy's 25th next year. I don't get to properly entertain nearly often enough.

The Quest For Peppa Pig

Today was a Big Day Out. Mummy and I said goodbye to Daddy and Amber after my mid-morning feed and we went over to Dan's to see Clo-clo.

Clo-clo is Dan's daughter. She is bigger than me, a whole year and a half old. She is very, very blonde and curly and is lots of fun. She did get a bit jealous when I showed off my new command of the English language by calling Dan 'daddy' fifteen times, but apart from that she was very friendly as always. She shares her toys with me and is very generous when I come to see her.

When we were at Dan's we watched Dora the Explorer together and we each had one of Mummy's knees to sit on and bounced and danced to the music. Then Chloe and I both had a cuddle with Dan and Chloe's cousin Charlie took lots of pictures of us.

Charlie is even bigger than Clo-clo, he is a whole three years old! Which thinking about it makes Mummy quite old, and Daddy positively ancient.

We went to some new shops that I had never been to before next, but it was a bit boring so I fell asleep for a while. After I woke up it was very weird, we were all just standing around doing nothing that I could see, and so were the other people near us.

Then something new and exciting happened. One of the great big cars which dont make the passengers wear seatbelts and which you have to pay money to ride in came along, and we all got on it! Well, this was all very new. There were lots of people and new things to look at, and I could even look out the window like I do in our little car.

We rode into a place called Pool in the great big car. I looked to see whether it would be very wet or not but apart from a bit of rain it was barely even damp, so it was a very silly name for it. When we got there we met up with Dan's niece Charlie, who is a Big Big Girl like Amber. By this time I was very hungry, so we sat on the in a place called the Dolphin Centre and Mummy fed me. Like Pool, the Dolphin Centre has a silly name because there wasn't a single dolphin to be seen splashing in the fountains. I was quite disappointed about that.

After my feed we went to look for a genuine celebrity - Peppa Pig was in town! Clo-clo really likes Peppa Pig, and Daddy has let me watch her on Milkshake a couple of times in the morning. But when we got to her Travel Pen (which must be like my Travel Cot but muddier) there were so many people queueing up to see her and have their photy's taken that Mummy and Dan gave it up and just held us up high so we could see her.

She was Big, and Pink. Yeah. That was it, bit of a letdown really, all things considered.

For everyone else's lunch we went to Burger King. Everything there looked really yummy, especially the leaflets and napkins, several of which I attempted to nosh down while everyone else ate the boring stuff like burgers and fries.

After lunch it was time to go and see Dan's sister Vicki, who has two tiny babies who were born at the same time a few weeks ago. Chelsea and Charlie are also her children, and they have another sister who is also an Amber like my big sister. Dan said it was only a ten minute walk from Pool, but Mummy says she could have killed him because it was over thirty minutes. She says he has no sense of time at all, but that seeing as he works in a shop where he can go an hour without a customer coming through the door that isn't surprising.

So anyway, over hill and over dale we went, and by the time we got there I was so hungry that I had got a big bubble of air in my empty tummy and gave Mummy a huge, window-rattling burp after my feed. I think it made Clo-clo jump.

After my feed I played lots with Charlie and sat in a very unusual juddery bouncer. I thought it was great, but it did make the photos Charlie took of me very blurry unfortunately. Considering he is only three he does seem to like taking lots and lots of pictures.

When we went back to Dan's afterwards I was very tired from all the excitement, but I soon felt better when I got to have a go in a another special bouncer. This one was even better than the vibrating one, it goes in a doorway and you can sit right up in it and bounce about! Dan has given it to me as Clo-clo is too big for it now, so if I play my cards right and actually sleep for more than forty minutes at a time Mummy and Daddy might let me have a go on it tomorrow.

This week Mummy and Daddy have been mostly exhausted.

It was getting late, so Mummy and I got in the car and drove home. I tried really hard to go to sleep but Mummy wouldn't let me because it was getting close to last feed, and if I have a Powernap right before that I am a nightmare to get to sleep. Least thats what Daddy tells me, anyway.

When we got home I got lots of cuddles with Daddy and my big sister. They had really really missed me and were very pleased I was home. They were also pleased that I had been so well-behaved today - did you notice that not once have I had to reluctantly admit to kicking off whilst we were out? I've just been that good.

Daddy says I am teh Angel.

Daddy and Amber were also really pleased that I said 'hiya' to Chelsea earlier, too. I am getting good at this Big People language, though I still prefer a learned, erudite discourse in Shriek really.

I was so happy with all the attention that I detonated a serious Size Seven in my nappy right before my last feed, and had to dictate the last of this post in Red-Faced Strain. Mummy said it actually felt like her sinuses were stinging. Daddy said not to be such a big wuss.

I am very very tired now, so I think I shall fall fast asleep with that final feed. Hopefully I will be as good overnight as I have been through the day and Mummy and Daddy can catch up on a bit of sleep.

Night night and sleep tight everyone.

The First Word

At 5 months and nineteen days old there was the Word. And the Word was 'Daddy'.

Grandad says we're on the slippery slope now, and no one will be able to shut me up until the 22nd century.

Footsie 100

I went to the Under 1's group with Mummy yesterday, and I met my friend Liam there after we saw him in the supermarket the other day. He is about a month bigger than me. Daddy says its highly amusing that I've already inherited Mummy's taste for Older Men, whatever that means.

My Mummy and Liam's Mummy sat opposite each other on the floor so Liam and I could have a proper chat. He speaks very good Gurgle, and quite good Shriek as well.

But then a funny thing happened. Liam and I discovered how much fun it is to tickle each other's feet with our own feet! Mummy says this is called Footsie. I like it, its a lot of fun to play and it made us both giggle a lot.

Daddy doesn't like touching Mummy's feet at all, though. I never see them playing that game. In fact come to think of it though she does giggle a lot when she tries to get him to play with them.

Funny that.

Noise Glorious Noise

Today I have created a brand new Day. It is International Speak Only In Shriek Day.

Daddy says I am most definitely over my cold now.

Aunty Chelle

Auntie Chelle isn't really my auntie, but she is our fun friend. She is always very happy to see me and always gives me lots of cuddles and playtime. I spent ages with her today when Mummy picked her up to come and visit us all. We went to Sainsbury's for that 'bredunmiwk' stuff we always seem to go there for, and then we came home to see Daddy and my sicky sister, who isn't as sicky as she was and is going back to school tomorrow if she isn't sicky again. This is officially Good News as she might have had to miss her birthday party on sunday if she didn't get better.

When we got back home Daddy gave me lots of cuddles and he snuggled me while I had my bottle. I have been having cartons today as my tummy has been a bit funny too and cartons are better for me than powdered milk. Mummy and Daddy were silly enough to try and water my milk down this morning to help my tummy - I wasn't having any of that nonsense and I made it very very clear too. In Shriek.

Once I had finished my bottle I did a big window-rattling burp and went to sleep for a little while. When I woke up I had some Tummy Time on my Eeyore blanky and Aunty Chelle took this lovely picture of me.

Daddy says modesty is a virtue of people who have nothing to boast about so I'm going to shamelessly blow my own trumpet and say how totally cute I look, so there! Aunty Chelle was so pleased with herself for getting me at just the right moment, she was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. Even Amber stirred from her pit of Unclean Sicky Doom and said how nice it looked.

Aunty Chelle stayed for dinner and I grinned at her and flailed about on Mummy's lap. Mummy managed to eat her tea while I did it as well, I was very impressed.

After tea I went back to Aunty Chelle's and played with Kizzy the little yappy dog. I like to try and stroke her fur but Mummy doesn't let me because doggies aren't very clean creatures. Daddy says the caretaker's great big woofy dog at his old school wasn't very clean at all, in fact it used to go up to the gate and 'put on a show', whatever that means. Maybe it did poetry recitals or some light opera?

We were just getting ready to go to Mudeford Quay when Mummy suddenly remembered she was meant to go to Hockey Practice tonight, so we had to rush back home, hand me over to Daddy and then off she went, and came back without any new artificial joints or breaks of any sort, bonus!

Daddy says This Won't Last.

I was very good for Daddy, I snuggled into him and we watched a show with a spaceship in it, it was really cool. I even gave him a lovely goopy yellow poo to change, he seemed very pleased with it. He always takes the poopy nappies out to the kitchen when he's done with them, I think he must be making a collection out there somewhere.

I didn't want to go to sleep after my last feed though. I did all my favourite tricks - the Footslamming to kick my covers off, the Gobbing of the Dummy, and then just as Daddy went back downstairs I heard Mummy come in so I asked her very politely if she wouldn't mind coming upstairs to see me, just for a few brief moments. In Yell.

She did, yay for my powers of persuasion eh? But now I'm very tired and I am going to get my beauty sleep so Aunty Chelle can come and take more super-cute pics of me tomorrow.

Night night and sleep tight everyone.

Sicky Sister

My poor sister isn't very well. Her tummy has started hurting again and she has been sick at school, so Mummy had to jump in the car to go and get her just as Daddy was starting his lunch.

I am afraid he didn't enjoy his scrambled eggies on toast very much as I was not in the mood to chill out in my bouncer. Or on my Eeyore blanky with my toys. Or pretty much anywhere but in Daddy's arms being cuddled, in point of fact. Oopsy.

I am officially not allowed to play with my big sister until at least tomorrow night now. This is very annoying, and I have been making my displeasure about the situation very clear, in fluent Yell.

This Is Lulu

Hello blogging world. Well, the odd one or two that stumble across here till my Daddy gets some links and stuff going, anyway. My name's Lulu, and my Mummy and Daddy thinks its only fair that I get my own space to jot down my thoughts as the days go by and I get bigger and poo more.

Daddy promises he will faithfully translate my deep thoughts about social justice, environmental activism and why Piglet is cute from the original Gurgle. I also speak Shriek, Yell, Giggle, Hiccup and Red-Faced Strain, so its just as well he is multilingual when it comes to babies otherwise he'd have his work cut out, bless his stubbly face.

Anyway, I'm off to sleep now while Daddy considers going and 'dealing with the sods who are yelling outside and keeping her awake'. I don't know what he means exactly, but I like it when Mummy deals the cards with the funny pictures on so I can grab them off Daddy as he's holding me. They have pretty red and black colours on them, you know. Mummy and my big sister must like them too because they always seem very pleased when I show them the ones I've grabbed off Daddy!

Night night and sleep tight everyone.